Car clocking

AeroKid

If a car is clocked and this is proved when an offical reading is taken from the cars computer where do you stand? ie can the car be returned/ can person be refunded or just take it on the chin??

Jesus Shaves

AeroKid wrote: »

If a car is clocked and this is proved when an offical reading is taken from the cars computer where do you stand? ie can the car be returned/ can person be refunded or just take it on the chin??

It's not illegal to clock a car as long as the seller informs the buyer when they are selling it

biko

Were you sold a clocked car?
Do you know the variation of the mileage? Before/After?

AeroKid

I need to get the ecu plugged in.. as far as I know you can not change that? But rather than wasting time at the garage I need to be sure that it is possible to take a legit reading..

Henry Ford III

It all depends. Is this car you've recently bought? An import? Privately?

We need the full details....

Jesus Shaves

AeroKid wrote: »

I need to get the ecu plugged in.. as far as I know you can not change that? But rather than wasting time at the garage I need to be sure that it is possible to take a legit reading..

yeah the ecu will show a hidden record of the cars original mileage if it has been clocked, again, selling a clocked car without notifying the buyer is illegal

You will need dealer specific diagnostic equipment to do this
what make car is it?

Malice

If there's a discrepancy between what's displayed on the dashboard and what's displayed by the ECU then one of three things happened:
1. The ECU was replaced.
2. The dashboard odometer was replaced.
3. The dashboard odometer was rolled back.

If the place you bought the car off didn't asy anything then either they were negligent in not checking before selling or they committed fraud by checking it and selling it anyway.

As for what you can do as a buyer you can call the garage up and tell them what you've discovered. If they have any sense they'll either replace the car or refund you. A more expensive and long drawn-out process is to contact a solicitor and get their advice.

cadaliac

AeroKid wrote: »

I need to get the ecu plugged in.. as far as I know you can not change that? But rather than wasting time at the garage I need to be sure that it is possible to take a legit reading..

I know that there are simple ways to clock cars and more advanced methods to hiding mileage.
For instance, if you just roll back the miles on the clock without adjusting anything else - the ECU will read errors (or events, or whatever) with a higher mileage reading against thar error, or event.
Other people go into the ECU an delete all records against any errors/events with a higher recorded mileage. That way the ECU can be wiped of any evidence.

trek04

How do you know the car was clocked.

mickotoole

I've heard before of ECU's being replaced and the milage on the clock being changed to Kilometers making the owner think that the car had been clocked. That's not the case with yours is it?

kildare.17hmr

Malice wrote: »

If there's a discrepancy between what's displayed on the dashboard and what's displayed by the ECU then one of three things happened:
1. The ECU was replaced.
2. The dashboard odometer was replaced.
3. The dashboard odometer was rolled back.

If the place you bought the car off didn't asy anything then either they were negligent in not checking before selling or they committed fraud by checking it and selling it anyway.

As for what you can do as a buyer you can call the garage up and tell them what you've discovered. If they have any sense they'll either replace the car or refund you. A more expensive and long drawn-out process is to contact a solicitor and get their advice.

i dont know of any garage that checks mileage the way your saying, i no any garage iv worked in or delt with doesn't. if your buying a 2nd hand car you should do a history check. most garages will do a history check before taking a trade in( i generally do it for anything up to 5 years old or something expensive)

Bullseye1

I really cannot understand why it is not a regulation that car manufacturers must make it impossible to clock a car.

cadaliac

Bullseye1 wrote: »

I really cannot understand why it is not a regulation that car manufacturers must make it impossible to clock a car.

Nothing is impossible..:D
How would they replace a faulty ECU? They make it as hard as they can but it will never be impossible, so to speak.

Malice

Bullseye1 wrote: »

I really cannot understand why it is not a regulation that car manufacturers must make it impossible to clock a car.

Let's say that regulation is pased. What happens then if your dashboard or ECU needs replacing? How do you match up one to the other?

Bullseye1

Bullseye1 wrote: »

I really cannot understand why it is not a regulation that car manufacturers must make it impossible to clock a car.

I take it you're not remotely technically minded.

AeroKid

Cheers.. To answer some of the questions, It's a saab Aero I got it cartelle to check it! But this is very limited imo. The car is an import..
Can a side street mechanic not check ecu if he possess software?

builda

Hi Aerokid. how did you get on with your car? I too have purchased a car from a dealer and then found out it was clocked. the dealer is not willing to give me a full refund but will give me 8000 instead of the 10,000 euro I paid for it last august. I have been told by others that I should get a full refund. Can anyone shed some light on this as to what I should be expecting and the lenght of time to resolve. it has been going on for nearly 4 months now. appreciate your replies.

AeroKid

You done well so compared to me... the shower I bought mine from have done a runner! I have brought the car to a saab garage and they have confirmed the car has been clocked reading 54k on the clock but the garage have shown me 87k on the diagnostic they carried out!

GSBellew

Its an import? So the clocks are in Miles?

Some ECU's still 'think' in km regardless of the display mileage, 54,000 Miles converts to 86,904 Km so give or take a bit then the readings could tie in.

AeroKid

fair point! I would have taught the mechanic would have copped that one though..but yea makes sense! The car was an import! It's just the fact the crowd have done a runner that is making me very suspicious!

GavMan

builda wrote: »

Hi Aerokid. how did you get on with your car? I too have purchased a car from a dealer and then found out it was clocked. the dealer is not willing to give me a full refund but will give me 8000 instead of the 10,000 euro I paid for it last august. I have been told by others that I should get a full refund. Can anyone shed some light on this as to what I should be expecting and the lenght of time to resolve. it has been going on for nearly 4 months now. appreciate your replies.

Are they a SIMI dealer

Try raise it with SIMI to see if they can act as a mediator perhaps? Or else talk to a solicitor